I've always said that -- having seen quite a few shows there -- the Spectrum was the best place in America to see a rock concert. Something about the arena always made you feel like you were right up front with the band, no matter where you might have been sitting.
This Ultamix perfectly captures that feeling. There's just enough audience mixed in to hear the energy from the crowd and hear the "air" in the room, especially around Jerry's guitar. Why Dan stopped making these, I'll never know -- maybe he just preferred to keep the AUD and SBD sources separate.
The setlist is great to, with band really serving up a Dylan-fest tonight. Yet another example of a sublime '89 show hiding out and waiting to be discovered by the unexpecting.

I was 18 and had just graduated high school a month prior. I remember it was still really warm that night. I got ripped off trying to buy a bag of weed from some ghetto folk but the acid I bought was great! By the time Shakedown started I was tripping balls!!! We were in the nosebleeds but The Spectrum isn't that big so I could see everyone just fine. I don't really remember details other than I enjoyed it very much and it was my first step in a lifelong journey with The Dead! I had a better sounding SHN version of this but this show will always hold a special place in my heart.

As another review stated, there was the quake in SF the previous day. The band's minds were on back home. Had to be! Stunning Shakedown! Then, a couple days later at the Spectrum, the California Earthquake.

I was lucky enough to see this whole run at Philly, and like the rest of the fall '89 tour, it was an awesome thing to behold.
Although the 1st set seems short (6 songs), it is dominated by very long, extended explorations of Shakedown and Birdsong. Some great MIDI stuff going on in both cases - carnival-like sounds in Shakedown, and the flute sound on Birdsong. Interesting how one survived into later tours and the other didn't.
The 2nd set put the pedal to the floor from start to finish. Highlights for me were a really ripping Rider, the long spacey jam after Terrapin, and a very hot solo from Jerry to close out Black Peter.
Sound quality is quite good, though not as sharp as it could be. Otherwise this would be a 5.

Walking down a hill, I caught the Bird Song coming from a nice car stereo system...All I can remember is the jam spiraling higher and higher, stronger and stronger, and then it did it again...and again. It may have been my state of mind, but this Bird Song is transcendental. This is a practically flawless performance, and the Bird Song is, I will dare say, one of the best ever. Check this show out. I just read the review under me about the Bird Song so I know it isn't just me. Get that fresh underwear out. haha

I got the nugs.netcopy of this show and I am basing my review only on the Bird Song this Bird Song is amazing if your going to listen to Bird Song you better put a fresh pair of underwear on and strap on a seatbelt.

This show on Nugs.net sounds real nice.
I like Jerry's midi break out and jam on Shakedown, Psychelic keyboard guitar solo.
Top notch Dead all the way through.

I think this show is underrated in light of previous shows. The Man Smart, Women Smarter
and the Terrapin were highlights for me. I have a
copy of this show from Nugs.net. Soung quality is
pretty good there. As was par for this tour Brent really stands out on almost every song. Especially Man Smart, Terrapin, and Gimme Some Lovin. Go to Nugs for this show. Well worth the download.

After the Meadowlands show you had to expect a letdown. But still pretty solid. As far as the solo during Rider I think Alpine Valley that summer is by far the most unique and possibly one of the best Garcia ever played.

I think maybe the heavy AUD patch on the beginning of Shakedown might be a culprit in the harsh words against this source.
The only board copy I had before this had clipped the first minute of China Cat. Its presence here is enough to sate me regarding the whole show.
This was my 3rd show, and I went without tickets. Also without realizing the effort I would have to make. I was 20 years old, and my ticket came with about 20 minutes to spare, not counting the actual scheduled start time, which they never adhered to at the time. Following a barter involving cash and two portions of non-alcoholic elixirs, a 10 minute consumption of my own, I was in.
I have a vague recollection of someone's failed attempt at entry without ticket, and someone else berating people for not having his miracle.
In the 3.5 months that had passed since my second show (7-4-89), I went from complete disorientation (not fully my fault given they did a Playin' Reprise from the Foxboro show's Playin) to jumping up and down with each successive song.
This is worth it mostly for Jerry's MIDI baby steps on Bird Song and Terrapin, and I defy anyone to find me a more unique solo in I Know You Rider. For years now I've called it Jerry Hendrix. Seriously, it's as if Jerry spent pre-show watching a Santana/Hendrix instructional videotape (not that I'm suggesting he ever needed to).
Post-Space may be the most lethargic and disjointed playing of the entire tour, but what a U.S. Blues!! So much energy that they did the ending twice.

Don't bother with this version. The same show is out there on server Audio 17. Grab that one. Over all not the hottest show to load up.

nice show. For those who went no doubt it rocked but 5-Stars ??? Please. This show honestly gets a 4-stars for playing .,..2 for sound quality.
Its muffled and when compared to shows like the Alpine 7/17/89 & 7/19/89 you can tell the difference in sound quality.
That being said I wish I saw this run and spring tour as well..

Drove from Minnesota to catch this one ... of course disconnected from news/current events in the process of getting there. Upon getting to our hotel room the night before the show, we turned on the TV expecting the World Series and instead found San Francisco reeling from the earthquake.
Without trivializing the disaster, it was an easy 1:1 pick on the opener for the first night.
The folks at the mix position were visibly uneasy ... Candace indicated that a very little news had made it to the Band & Co. but that people were all right back home, although things were obviously more than well shaken up.
Sam Wood, a reviewer for one of the Philadelphia newspapers, wrote a few words about the show that were so "memorable" that I to this day remember them ...
"The Grateful Dead shambled into town last night ..."
"... their fans sang along with a loyalty rarely seen outside a Chataqua campfire ..."
"Jerry's twiddly-diddly guitar solos had all the flavor of a stale roll of Necco wafers ...."
I don't know what show he was at, but he was obviously not inside The Spectrum. The opener was exactly as expected ... and monstrous. This show started big, stayed, big, and if anything, listen to it get larger through the Black Peter = > Around & Around => Good Lovin' closers.
The boys proved (as if it needed to be) that they could play large and rise to the occasion.

The SF earthquake happened the day before ... no question what the opener was going to be there that night.
Highly recommend listening to this one!

Was at this show as well as the Meadowlands shows before it. This was always my favorite of the run as I thought back. After having heard the tapes, this show is just classic eighties Grateful Dead. Tight Jams, Rock-n-Rollin', High Energy, Great Brent stuff.
Highlights: Shakedown, Bird Song, Music, China>Rider, Terrapin, US Blues encore
Sound Quality is good!

Often unappreciated because of what was played at the previous show two nights earlier, this show features the Dead playing a standard setlist with as much energy and panache as possible. Fantastic Birdsong is just one highlight. Despite the absence of Dark Star, this Philly run was amazing.